


The Sweet and the Poison

by Emily_F6



Series: Peter Parker Prompts [14]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Irondad, Peter Parker Whump, Tony Stark is a mess, Tony Stark is trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25757776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: Tony tries to break the cycle of shame, nearly (accidentally) killing Peter in the process.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Peter Parker Prompts [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866505
Comments: 3
Kudos: 207





	The Sweet and the Poison

**Prompt: Tony and Peter find out that he is allergic to peppermint**

Tony stared out the huge front window of the Compound, hands clasped behind his back, doing his best to appear nonchalant as he turned with a brief smile for the two staff members who hurried by, both giving him a quick nod before turning back to whatever important conversation they’d been having. There had been a lot of that since the battle in Germany...since Cap and the others had split. Now it was just him and his fiancee at the Compound most days, along with Vision, who had been taking more and more extended trips, and Happy who stopped by once a week or so. Rhodey came by when he could, but otherwise, Tony had to admit, there were days when he missed the old team.

And then he thought about Captain Self-Righteous and theTV showing the murder of his parents and the lies...so many lies...and that’s when he thought that maybe this was better. Sure , he’d been a bit premature, offering a fifteen-year-old a spot on the Avengers, but the kid would get there. Peter hadn’t exactly said ‘no.’ At least, not for forever. He’d said that he wanted to stay on the ground for a little bit. And that was fine. It was to be expected, in hindsight. The kid had just saved his ass, taking down the Vulture on his own and not only recovering the plane full of Avengers tech, but also going out of his way to make sure Toomes had lived. All on the night of his Homecoming dance.

So yeah, maybe the kid needed a break.

But, while placing the Iron Spider suit into a compartment in his lab, ready to be called if he ever needed it in a hurry, Tony had started thinking. Sure, the kid wanted to lay low and stay on the ground...but that didn’t mean that Tony couldn’t try his hand at this whole mentorship thing. Right? The kid still liked him and had easily accepted his almost-apology when Happy had brought him to the Compound. And he hadn’t even gotten to give the kid a tour of the place. The kid would like a tour and maybe even to work with him in the lab...surely. 

A tiny part of Tony had been expecting Peter to say no when he’d called him a few days ago. He’d checked with Karen before calling, having Friday connect with her so that he could make sure Peter wasn’t in the middle of any crime fighting. Karen had cheerfully assured him that Peter was currently sitting on a fire escape and eating a sandwich, and so, after taking a moment to be bemused at the fact that Peter’s AI called him ‘Mr. Stark,’ he had given the kid a ring.

“Hey, uh...Mr. Stark? Is everything...is everything okay?” Peter had answered, sounding almost frightened. 

“Everything’s fine, kid. How’s Queens?”

“Oh, uh...great. Everything here is great. I uh...I stopped calling Happy with updates. You know...I think he was...I mean, I’m sure he’s really busy so he probably didn’t have time to listen anyway.” 

The embarrassment in Peter’s voice had made Tony’s heart clench, and he’d blurted the next words out without thinking too much about it. “Did he not tell you? I did some restructuring. You can go ahead and just have Karen send those to me. I thought I told Happy to let you know. Sorry, Pete.”

A full minute of stunned silence had passed, and Tony had started to rethink that particular choice when Peter had spoken again, voice soft and hesitant. “You...you really….I mean, I don’t want to bug you, Mr. Stark. If you…”

“That’s an order, kid. I need to know what the friendly neighborhood Spiderling is getting up to since I’m upstate now.”

“Oh. Okay, um...if you’re sure.” 

“I am. Now, what are you doing Friday?”

“School…” Peter had informed him as though it were a trick question, and Tony had rolled his eyes, a reluctantly fond smile turning the corners of his mouth.

“After school, kid.” 

“Oh. Uh, I was just going on patrol and then I’ll probably get take-out. May’s working an overnight shift so...nothing much. What, uh...what are you doing, Mr. Stark?”

Tony had snorted at the kid’s innate politeness, that fond smile blooming in full. “I was thinking about having my intern come up to the Compound and take a tour of the place. Maybe even do some work in the lab.”

“Oh, that’s really cool, Mr. Stark. I didn’t know you really had interns.” There had been nothing contrived about the boy’s voice, and Tony had wiped a hand over his face and bit back a sigh. This kid. 

“I’m talking about you, Pete,” Tony had told him, deadpan, that damned smile still on his face. 

“Me?”

“Do you want to come up to the Compound on Friday, Underoos?”

“I...yeah, Mr. Stark! That would be amazing! You...wait, you said intern?”

“I did indeed. Friday will pick you up after school, kiddo. See you then.”

And with a chuckle, he’d ended the call. 

Now he second-guessed himself, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to appear less stressed than he actually was. What the hell did he know about being a mentor? How was he supposed to keep the kid entertained on his own for hours? Or, well...however long he stayed. Tony honestly had no idea. All he knew was that Happy would be on standby and ready to take the kid home at the end of this experience.

Just as the car pulled into the drive, footsteps approached, and a young man carrying a cardboard coffee carrier hurried up to him. “Mr. Stark? We were out of chocolate syrup. Is peppermint okay?”

Well, Tony thought as he took the carrier, it was December. “That’s fine. Thanks, Roman.” He was sure that, as long as the drink was sweet and full of sugar, Peter would enjoy it. He plucked his own black coffee out of the carrier, grateful for the little cafeteria downstairs that served all of the workers. He tended to make his own coffee, but had thought the kid’s internship ought to come with some perks. Free sugary coffee couldn’t hurt, especially after a full day spent in high school. 

Tony carried the coffees over to the lobby and waited for Peter to come bounding in. Instead, the kid stopped at the door, glanced back at Happy as if unsure he was allowed to be here, then, taking a deep breath and throwing his backpack more firmly over his shoulder, he pushed the door open, then stopped short when he saw Tony.

“Hey kiddo, how was school?” he asked, then wondered if he sounded like a soccer dad. 

Peter seemed to relax a little at his words though, smiling that endearing, puppy smile. “It was good. How was your day, Mr. Stark?”

“Pretty good. Here. Thought you might need some caffeine after a day spent locked away with other teenagers. Peppermint okay? They were out of chocolate.”

“Oh...thanks!” The kid relaxed a little more, shoulders coming down from his ears, and he wrapped his hands around the drink, which reminded Tony that the kid was probably cold. “I haven’t ever had this one before. They always run out before I’m able to get it.”

Tony took a gulp of his own coffee, making a mental note to get the kid fancy coffee every time. “Alright, Pete. Let’s start the tour in the lab, huh?”

“Sounds great!” 

And, feeling just a little awkward, Tony put a hand on his shoulder, gave it a firm pat, then led Peter over to the elevator. The boy took a sip of the coffee, shivering a little under Tony’s arm, and Tony made a mental note to have Friday turn the head up when they got to the lab. The kid was wearing a coat and a scarf wrapped around his neck, so he figured he would warm up soon.

“So, I thought we’d try to make this internship thing a little more...concrete. What do you think?” he asked, turning to Peter who was leaning against the elevator wall. Clearing his throat, Peter nodded, swallowing hard, then taking another sip of the coffee.

“Yeah, that...that would be incredible!”

“Yeah?” Tony smiled a little, feeling his chest loosen a little. This didn’t have to be awkward, he reminded himself. This was Peter Parker. This wasn’t Steve or Natasha...he could trust Peter. He could let the kid in, just a little. It was safe. Bringing a hand absently to his chest, hit suddenly with the unwelcome memory of Steve’s shield slamming into his chest, Tony quickly aborted the gesture, then glanced at Peter to make sure he hadn’t caught it. But Peter wasn’t looking at him. He was pressing a hand to his own chest, and clearing his throat once more. “Pete? You good?”

“Yeah...yeah, just…” Peter coughed once, then twice, taking another long drink of his coffee. “I’m fine.” The kid gave him a strained smile and Tony nodded, not at all convinced.

Before Tony could ask again, the elevator doors opened, depositing them into Tony’s lab. He stepped forward, lifting his arm in a grand gesture, sure the kid was going to be excited and ready to share that excitement. “Alright, kiddo, this my personal lab. What do you think?” 

Behind him, Peter was silent, and he tossed the kid, who had stepped into the room, a quick grin. The kid was stock still, eyes wide as he looked at Tony and the room. 

“Over here, we’ve got the Iron Man suits.” Tony turned and gestured with his coffee. I’ve been trying to figure out nanotech, so hopefully I’ll be able to get started on a new suit soon. I’m thinking of calling it bleeding edge. And over here is my work station. Feel free to look around. And beside my workstation, I set you up…”

“Mr. Stark?” The voice that interrupted him was breathless and apologetic all at once, and he turned to find Peter in the same spot he’d left him, cheeks flushed, a hand pressed to his chest, wide-eyes pleading with Tony. Tony stared at the boy, taking in his flushed face and open mouth with a growing concern as he put his drink down.

“Pete?”

“I...Mr. Stark, I can’t breathe…” As soon as the words were out, the cup fell from Peter’s hand as if in slow motion, hitting the ground and spilling about half of the cup of coffee all over the floor. But Tony barely noticed that as the boy gagged, then leaned over and vomited on the floor. 

Swearing aloud, Tony raced to his side and caught his arm right as his knees buckled. 

“Sorry...sorry...Mr. Stark...sorry…” Peter wheezed, blinking rapidly as he swayed. 

“Okay...shit...okay…” Tony rambled, getting an arm around the kid to hold him up. Steering him carefully, he led him over to the sofa at the edge of the room where he’d been known to take naps, easing Peter down and putting his hands firmly on the kid’s shoulders. “Kid? Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I don’t...don’t know. Mr. Stark...I can’t…” The wheezing was getting louder, and Tony watched in horror as tears pooled in the boy’s eyes and dripped down his cheek. Pulling his sleeve over his hand, Tony wiped at the kid’s mouth, cleaning him up and holding him upright with a hand firm on his shoulder. At a loss, he pressed his fingers to Peter’s throat, wincing when the boy’s puse raced unevenly.

Peter couldn’t breathe. Peter Parker was in his lab and he’d invited the kid over to do some kind of internship with him because the kid was brilliant and good and had so much potential and now he couldn’t breathe!

The boy lifted a hand and dropped it onto Tony’s arm, lips trembling as he wheezed, and never in his life had Tony felt so helpless. So useless. 

“Mr...Mr. Stark?” Peter begged, and Tony felt his own eyes fill with tears. No. This wasn’t happening. It didn’t make any sense.

“Just...okay...hold on, buddy. You’re okay. Just…” Tony stammered. Why wasn’t his brain working?

“Sir, I’ve alerted emergency personnel. Dr. Rodrigez is on her way. It appears that Peter is going into anaphylactic shock.”

That, finally, shook Tony out of his stupor, and he reached forward, easing Peter back against the back of the sofa and tilting his head back. “Okay...keep breathing. Just...try to breathe, Pete. Help is on the way. You’re…” His words were immediately cut off when Peter’s body jerked, fingers digging holes into his sofa...but there was no more wheezing. The lab was suddenly, unnaturally silent, and something was ringing in Tony’s ears. “No...no, Peter!” Tony shook him just a little, then jammed his fingers into the kid’s neck. His pulse was even weaker...uneven beats barely there under Tony’s fingers, and his huge brown eyes pleaded with Tony even as his body jerked again, desperate for air. “You’re okay...you’re okay, Pete. Hold on! Friday!”

“The medical team is on their way to the elevator.”

Peter made a noise...something like a desperate whine as his eyes fluttered, and Tony gripped his arm, trying to ground him. “What do I do!” 

“An epi pen may decrease his symptoms although with his mutation…”

Epi pen. Pepper was allergic to strawberries. He’d put epi pens in every room she might be in, just in case!

“Where is it? Shit!” He left Peter’s side, not allowing himself to look when the boy slumped to the side, head dropping to his chest. “Friday! Where’s the fucking epi pen?” 

“Bottom left drawer of…” Before Friday could even finish that sentence, it came to him, his brain clearing of just a little of the panic. Racing over to the wall unit of drawers, he yanked the bottom left drawer open, grabbed the little orange device, then raced back over to Peter, tripping on his own feet on the way. 

“The medical team is in the elevator,” Friday informed him gravely as Tony dropped to his knees at Peter’s side, pulling the cap off, then slamming it down onto Peter’s thigh through the top of his jeans. Counting slowly, he reached up and gripped Peter’s hand, heart stuttering when the boy’s hand lay limp in his own. 

“One,” he whispered, voice hoarse with the tears he refused to let fall. “Two. Three.” He removed the epi pen then, dropping it and gently massaging his hands over the place where he’d slammed the pen hard enough into his thigh that he was sure the boy would have a bruise. But Tony didn’t care. All he cared about was the wheezing sound that once more filled the room, Peter’s eyes fluttering a little once more as he struggled to breathe again. “There you go...I know...I know it hurts, bud. The med team is on their way. You’re okay...you’re okay, honey. It’s okay.” Tony had no idea where the words came from, or even what they were. All he knew was that Peter was breathing again, his hand giving Tony’s a tentative squeeze, eyes opening to search for him. “I’m here. I’m right here, Underoos. It’s okay. Try to breathe. You’re okay.” 

The elevator doors flew open then, Dr. Rachel Rodriguez racing through with three people in scrubs that Tony didn’t recognize, all pushing a gurney. “Tony?” She demanded, pressing her fingers to Peter’s throat and glancing at her watch.

“His name’s Peter. He just...he stopped breathing.”

“Any known allergies?”

“No, I mean...I don’t know.”

“Peter?” she asked as the nurses readied the gurney. “Do you have any food allergies that you know of?”

Peter gave a weak shake of his head, still wheezing. 

“Okay. We’re going to get you to the medbay. We’ll give you something to help you breathe, okay?” She didn’t wait for the boy to agree, instead pulling the gurney closer, but before they could try to lift him, Tony stepped in, slipping a hand under Peter’s knees and around his back.

“Alright, Underoos. Next stop on the tour, the medbay. It’s very nice, I promise. You’re going to be just fine, buddy. I’ve got you.” 

Peter’s lips turned up in a half smile, eyes struggling to focus on Tony as he eased him onto the gurney. 

“What was the last thing he ate?” Dr. Rodriguez asked then, the nurses moving to wrap a blood pressure cuff around him and attach a pulse monitor to his finger.

“Um...I don’t know. I guess he ate lunch at school?” 

Peter nodded in the affirmative, obviously struggling to keep up with the conversation. They stepped into the elevator, Tony squeezing in too, not caring if he was in the way. 

“And, uh….coffee. A peppermint latte. With whipped cream.”

“Your AI mentioned an enhancement?” The doctor asked, her voice no-nonsense as she pulled a tablet out of her pocket and typed something in. 

“He’s...yeah, he’s…” Tony stopped when Peter shook his head, making a noise under the oxygen mask being pressed to his face. “Hey, kiddo, it’s okay. We can trust them. They work for me. Trust me, Pete, they won’t tell anyone.”

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but all he could do was give another wheeze, and he brought a hand up to touch his chest, jaw clenched in pain as he wheezed once more. 

“Is he getting worse again?” Tony demanded.

“We need to get more medication in him. What kind of enhancement are we talking about?”

“Radioactive spider. Spider DNA fused with his...he’s strong. Can stick to things. Probably enhanced metabolism.”

The woman seemed to think for a minute, then nodded. “Right. Peppermint oil is commonly used to repel spiders. He might have had an allergic reaction.”

And then they were on the medbay floor, practically running alongside the gurney as they took Peter toward a room and leaving Tony in the elevator with the knowledge that he’d just poisoned his new intern.

Knowing that he needed to give Dr. Rodriguez room to work and also refusing to leave Peter alone, Tony compromised by waiting outside the boy’s room, leaning against the wall and sliding down until he was flat on the floor, legs outstretched. He had no idea how long he sat there, with nurses running in and out of Peter’s room, giving him brief glimpses of the boy laying in a hospital bed, oxygen mask covering his face, a heart monitor beeping too loudly in the corner, before Happy appeared, standing over him and staring incredulously between Tony and the door to Peter’s room.

“Boss? What the hell…”

“Anaphylactic shock,” Tony whispered, shaking his head and feeling his own throat constrict. “He quit breathing.”

“He quit...why?” Happy demanded, and Tony suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one the kid had grown on. 

“I poisoned him.” 

His bodyguard and old friend just blinked, mouth open, and so Tony forced himself to explain. “I got him a coffee...peppermint latte. Hell, Hap, I thought...I didn’t know he was allergic. He didn’t either.”

“You didn’t poison him, Tony,” Happy told him finally, moving to sit beside him on the floor. “It was an accident.”

“I almost killed him. I just...he couldn’t breathe and I froze. I couldn’t think...Friday had to call for Rachel. I couldn’t even do that. And the epi pen...I didn’t...I couldn't think, Hap.”

Happy cleared his throat, then dropped a hand on Tony’s shoulder much like Tony had done to Peter the first day they’d met. For a moment, they were quiet. Then Happy spoke, clearly out of his element. “He’s a really good kid.”

“Yeah,” Tony whispered, wiping impatiently at his eyes. 

“I saw some of the stuff he does...on Youtube. People are always filming everything these days. You see the one where he stopped that van from hitting that bus?”

Tony nodded, sniffing and biting down hard on his lip.

“Kid’s going to be one hell of a superhero.”

“Yeah. He is.”

“He’s a tough kid. And, uh...he was really excited. About this whole internship thing. I...I screwed up, not answering the phone when he kept calling and then...then when I hung up on his friend. I told him that. Told him I screwed up and that if he needed me, I’d be around.”

Tony lifted his head, sniffing again and lifting his eyebrows as Happy gave a disbelieving scoff.

“Kid told me it was fine. That he knew I was busy.” Happy shook his head. “He’s a good kid. A great kid. And he’s already a great superhero. Anyway, I, uh...he’s not going to blame you for this. And I think...with it just being him and his aunt, you know, I think being around you...you’ll be good for each other, that’s all.” 

Tony gave a half smile, lifting an eyebrow. “You think so, Hogan?”

“Yeah...yeah, I do. I always thought you’d make a good...mentor.” 

Tony dropped his head back against the wall, all sorts of retorts at the ready. How the hell did he know what to do with a kid? How was he supposed to be any kind of influence on Peter when his own father...not that he was Peter’s father, but still. His own father had waited until after his own death to give Tony any kind of validation. He’d been abusive, emotionally and physically. He’d been absent. Neglectful. Had never even told Tony that he loved him.

But when Peter caught another glimpse of Peter Parker through the door before the nurse shut it once more, Tony felt something in him shift, just a little. He wouldn’t be any of those things, he knew. He couldn’t. Sure, he’d yelled at the kid. But he’d never wanted to hurt him. He’d never even considered lifting his hand to that boy. And today...didn’t today, before the whole poisoning thing, prove something? He’d wanted to give Peter a tour and make him a real intern. He’d been looking forward to an afternoon with the kid.

Wasn’t that something? Couldn’t he just start with that?

When Dr. Rodriguez finally emerged, it was with a surprised smile to find him still on the floor. “Tony.” The woman had been working for him for less than a year, but she was a close colleague of Helen Cho’s and had come highly recommended. After watching her in action, he could see why.

“Rachel. How is he?”

“He’s going to be fine.” Tony deflated, not even bothering to try and stand, knowing that his legs wouldn’t hold him. Beside him, Happy gave a sigh of his own, eyes closing as he nodded a little to himself. “I had to give him twice the usual dosage for someone his size, but he’s breathing much better, and I think we can release him in another hour or so if he continues to improve. He needs to avoid peppermint in the future, of course, and I’d recommend getting a full allergy test to see if anything else might trigger a reaction.”

“Yeah...of course. Thank you.” Beside him, Happy pulled himself to his feet, then held a hand out to Tony. “Seriously, thank you so much.” 

Rachel smiled. “Just doing my job. You’re welcome to sit with him if you’d like. He’s conscious.”

“Right...yeah. Thank you. Um…” He turned to Happy. “Can you call his aunt? Tell her that he’s absolutely fine but also that he’s allergic to peppermint...and that we’re going to get him an allergy test to see what else he’s allergic to now?”

“You got it boss. And...uh...Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell the kid...just...tell him I hope he feels better.”

Tony smiled, giving his friend a quick nod. “Will do, Hap.”

And then Tony was stepping into Peter’s now-quiet hospital style room, the steady beeping telling him that the kid’s heart rate was back on track. The boy’s eyes were closed, but as soon as Tony approached, they fluttered open, and he gave a weak smile. The mask was gone, a nasal cannula in its place, the plastic winding under Peter’s nose and around the sides of his face. “Hey, Mr. Stark. I’m sorr…”

“Nope.” Tony cut him off, holding out a hand, then taking a seat. “No apologies. Not from you.” Seeing the look on Peter’s face, Tony softened his tone. “Me, on the other hand…”

“Mr. Stark, it wasn’t your fault…”

“Don’t care. I’m sorry, kid. Hell...I’m…” He ran a hand over his face, dropping his head and shaking it for a moment before forcing his gaze back to the boy he’d put in a hospital bed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about the stupid coffee and...and I’m sorry that I fucking froze and...and I just stood there…”

“Mr. Stark,” Peter interrupted, reaching out and grabbing Tony’s arm, his grip only a little stronger than it had been before. Tony pressed his lips together, some part of him waiting for the dismissal. For the request to go home and never come back.

But that wasn’t Peter. That was his father’s voice, and neither of them were anything like his father.

“It’s okay. Really. I know it was an accident and I know you feel really bad but I promise, I’m okay. And...and I know it’s really scary when someone…” He cut himself off, eyes dropping to the blankets before shooting back to Tony. “It’s okay. It was just a dumb accident, and I’m fine. Promise. I heal really fast.” 

Tony couldn’t help the smile as he moved his hand to catch Peter’s, squeezing gently. “You’re really okay? You can breathe and everything?”

Peter laughed a little. “Yeah. I can breathe and everything.”

“Okay. Good.” Tony found himself rubbing his thumb over the back of Peter’s knuckles and almost stopped...but the kid didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, he hadn’t looked so relaxed since stepping foot in the Compound. “Right. So, here’s the plan. Once Rachel clears you, we’re going to finish the tour. First, I’m going to show you the kitchen counter which will be covered in the take-out containers that I’m about to order.” Peter’s lips turned up into a lazy smile, a yawn that he half-heartedly tried to cover escaping. “And after that,” Tony went on, lowering his voice. “I’m going to show you the living room couch and the TV because that’s about all I can handle today. What do you think, Pete?”

“Sounds…” Peter yawned again, eyes closing, and Tony knew that his healing made him tired, so he just continued to rub his thumb over Peter’s knuckles. “Sounds really good, Mr. Stark.”

Feeling affection and hope twining together in his chest, Tony placed the boy’s hand back on the bed, some instinct making him pull the blanket up around his shoulders, and then lean back, ready to wait out the kid’s power nap. “Good deal, Spiderling.”

**Thank you for reading!**


End file.
